Girls Grade School Spring Frequently Asked Questions
When are tryouts?
Grade school tryouts for current 4th-7th grade players for our spring/summer program are typically held
in late February and/or early March. Details will be posted on our website by late January.
Does my daughter need to attend both tryout sessions?
Players are encouraged to attend both sessions to allow us to get a more comprehensive evaluation, but
that is not required.
How many teams will you have?
We would ideally like to form 2 teams at each level 4th-7th but that will depend on the number of travel
caliber players that participate at each level. We will not form a team just to have one unless talent
level allows us to have a competitive roster.
How many players per team?
In the spring we look to expand rosters to 11-12 players per team. We have found this works well since
many of our spring grade school participants are involved in other sports and will have some conflicts.
At times we will still form a team with 8-10 players but our ideal number in the spring is 11-12 players.
What is the programming?
Our grade school teams practice twice per week. We begin practices in mid to late March. The season
goes through the last week of June. We target approximately 25-30 games, 7-8 events. Teams will not
play every weekend.
Where do you practice?
For grade school teams our primary practice location is Supreme Courts, 888 Frontenac in Aurora. We
will occasionally use other area gyms (e.g. Naperville Central HS) as needed.
What type of events do you enter?
In the spring we typically do not enter any leagues. We enter a combination of one day shootouts
(Chicagoland Youth Basketball Network, Ray Glassman, For The Game, etc.) as well as two day
tournaments.
Why don’t you enter the State AAU tournament?
Most years we will not enter any spring grade school teams in the IL State AAU tournament. We feel
that we can accomplish our goal of finding strong competition for our grade school teams without
participating in the AAU. That event adds extra costs and time for our parents (each player/family must
join the AAU organization) and we have found over the years there is no added benefit of becoming a
member and playing in that event. Clubs may promote the value of going to AAU Nationals, but we
strongly believe that we can find better competition regionally at events run by USJN and strong clubs
like Spiece Gym Rats, Wisconsin Impact, WBA Prestige, Iowa Stunners, etc. rather than sending our
strongest teams to AAU Nationals. The regional events are closer and will usually only require one hotel
night vs. further travel and multiple hotel nights for the AAU event. As always we are trying to keep
costs as low as possible for our families.
Is there travel involved?
Grade school teams will usually play “locally” meaning within an hour’s drive (Supreme Courts,
Romeoville, Schaumburg, Barrington, Libertyville, Waukegan, etc.). Some events may be a little further
(e.g. Pleasant Prairie WI or Bourbonnais). For our 6th and 7th team and occasionally for a 4th or 5th team
that has interest we will build in 1-2 “out-of-town” events (Ft. Wayne, Milwaukee area, Quad Cities,
etc.). This will depend on our assessment of each team and what might suit them best after tryouts.
What is the cost?
Spring program cost will be posted each year prior to tryouts. We keep costs lower than our fall/winter
program because we understand that many players will have conflicts in the spring and summer and
therefore miss some games and practices.
Can my daughter participate in a spring sport in addition to playing Rockets basketball? What
commitment level is expected?
While we certainly welcome the fully committed high level “basketball only” players, we feel strongly
that participation in other sports is fantastic at the grade school level. We allow for a lower
commitment level in the spring to accommodate the multi-sport athlete. Many of our spring
participants may only make one practice per week and miss several of the spring events. We are ok with
that, just ask that you communicate with coaches in advance.